Hydro Show 1

Top Down:
Daniel Thomson & Carl Ekstrom talk design. Carl was well impressed by Daniel's newer boards.
Some old Simmons wood.
Carl's models.
The good old days.
Daniel's board that was blowing a few minds.

It was well worth the drive south, if only to hang out and talk surfboards with Daniel Thomoson and RT in fancier surroundings than usual. Incredible looking show, 'museum quality' as they say. From the original Simmons through Ekstrom and Mirandon experiments in the 60s to Lis and Frye and experimental 70s madness to where Burch and Tomo and the like are taking surfboards now, it was an intelligently curated meander down one of surfing's myriad design pathways. Show's up for a couple of months, so if you can get to San Diego in that time, go check it out. The entrance is at 325 15th St, San Diego CA 92101 and it's open Tues-Sat 10-4.

Hydrodynamica- Remember The Future

As you've hopefully seen, this weekend is the opening of the Hydro show that's tied into the Getty 'Pacific Standard Time' shows. The theme here is obviously surfboard design, especially that of Bob Simmons, as a continuum of post war Californian design as a whole. RK has assembled a pretty serious array of boards and if you cabn't make the opening, the show is totally worth checking out at some time during it's run. I'll definitely take some pictures, and of course the above shots come from Andrew Kidman's brilliant Ether book.

Loft 9 Gallery
1340 16th St
San Diego CA 92101

Y Niwl

Personally, I really don't like surf music that much. Or at all really. Ventures etc bore the hell out of me and I can't even be bothered with the Beach Boys, even the vaguely psych ones you're meant to like. There are exceptions of course, Dick Dale, Davie Allan (more biker rock though I suppose), Agent Orange- all have moments of great fun. The modern garage rock boom produced some great surf-ish stuff from weird places like Japan, and now this- North Wales' finest surf combo, Y Niwl. Appaently they are killer live too. Sourced from the mighty Sideburn magazine blog, another of the sites that made me start doing this, so complain to them if you must. In case it isn't obvious, the surf and weather aren't co-operating so I'm wasting free time the internet and a couple of stacks of records.

Boards of 2011, Mick Mackie Edition

Ulladulla's own gets a special post because he delivers some absolutely epic surfcraft and keeps flowing photos that make me want to drain the bank account in order to have an unrivaled quiver. I like them well enough that I not only ride them 2 out of 3 sessions, but I try to help him sell a few. Making your beach experience better is our aim. From the top down:

21st Century Flextail- possibly the boards I covet most, simple as that.

Stinger swallowtail- OK, there's a lot of reasons why stingers were not a lasting surfboard design, but this thing looks like it'd be a screamer on a clean point wave,

Pintail- I have no info, just this picture so in my head this is a 6'6" or so single fin, beaked nose and just the step up you need when it gets over head high.

No dims or info on this one either but another fantastic looking board. I'm hoping there's a tri or quad set up underneath this and it's 6'.

Stub- The traditional single fin hull adherents will hate me for this, but I prefer the modernized version. This one is EPS and with a quad or 2+1 setup, I believe it would be what they term a 'goer'.

Twin Keel Sidecut- A design Mick has worked with and honed for over a decade. Twin or quad, it's a fish taken a step or two beyond what you can usually get from a fish. As much as I enjoy a classic twinnie, these boards have basically replaced traditional fish for me.

Each to their own and freedom for all, but no machine or popout is going to be able to bring you the creative flow that someone like Mackie has going on. It's the likes of him and all the other hand crafting innovators that keep the surfboard fresh, and I for one am incredibly thankful for that.

Serious down the line speed

Awesome, Christmas day comet photos from Tomo. What a great start to the year for those of you lucky enough to see them. In some sort of clumsy aquatic comet type link, check out the Mat Tube Challenge that's been inaugurated over here at the massively stoked Ramsnake's blog. Rubber riders should get on this one- I think I'll try for some shots on the bellyboard and enter, then cry surfcraft racism when I don't win. Or maybe just get the mat out there......

AND AN UPDATE: No mat? No worries! Tomo has a special going here. Get on it, and send me a few good tube photos too.

Burningflags.com

Mike Muir and Jim Muir pose for a Thrasher promotion we did, circa 1983


One of my early surf photos, shot at what was then probably the biggest surf contest in the North-East at Seaside Heights NJ- I got my first surf shot published from this same day, in Surfer magazines 20th Anniversary issue. Kevin Casey is the rider, circa 1978


Darryl 'Buffy' Robinson (RIP) of The Fat Boys in Venice holding my board circa 1984


Black Flag outside their office/home SST in Redondo Beach CA- their strongest lineup in my opinion. Circa 1984


The Beastie Boys, with Sean Penn and David Lee Roth at Madonna's first ever gold record party. This was in Los Angeles the day before or after they opened for Madonna on the 'Like A Virgin' tour, 1985.

In the beginning there was GEF. Really- my friend Craig and I wound up putting out books because we felt Glen's book need to be available, and now all these years down the line we're all still at it. Glen has just launched his official site, Burningflags.com and it's been worth the wait, filled with all sorts of bits and pieces of much interest. It's an incredible look at subcultures that meant a lot to me anyway, and all from the perspective of someone who was not only there but deeply involved and documenting it all wisely. Glen shared the above shots from the site, captions are his and don't forget we have his books available should you need something epic for the book shelf. Contact info @ foamandfunction.com and we'll set you up.

Boards That Caught My Eye, 2011

No particular order, no Mackies as I see enough of his boards to do an entirely seperate post (which I undoubtedly will do). Every one of these boards made me want to go and surf, and I am hoping that this coming year brings a little cash flow so I can invest in the culture and buy one of these- I'm jonesing for a new board, it's been a while.

From The Top:
Jeff Beck ModdTwin- wood skin over an EPS core. Slight cheat, I've been riding a loaner one of these a lot, and it's a fantastic board- light, responsive and has a lovely stiff twangy flex to it- epic board for the local crap beachbreaks.

Daniel Thomson Weighted Dart- Felt absolutely lethal under the arm, all kinds of double tail action with the V and channels- Tomo Jnr. is innovation at it's best.

Andrew Kidman's classic thruster interpretation- probably the board I'm most obsessed by- this is the thruster from when they were fun- Simon Anderson influenced template, no bells and whistles but it looks like it would be madly fun to ride.

Original Surf Company Bellyboard- I did get new rides this year, a brace of these things. 4' of ply and it's the most perfect allrounder ever. I break it out for a few belly slides at the end of every session and always exit the water grinning like a Cornish yokel who's been at the cider.

Alan Byrne channel bottom madness- enough said.

Jeff Ho L.A. shape. Again, nothing too flashy but a board that instantly felt right- a bit wider and thicker for us older gents, tri or quad set up and away you go. 6'2" or so tri and I think it'd be a daily driver.

Reverb's round tail quad- I'm a recent convert to the quads and this looks like the business- bit of area in the tail and very clean racy lines. Some South American is really happy with this I bet.

Norte

Hope you all got some sort of holiday and enjoyed it. Mine was short and involved a lot of driving, but it also involved some countryside that is still spectacular after many visits, a thoroughly enjoyable time in some very cold but playful surf, great seafood and evening in front of an outdoor log fire. No complaints at all.

The Pig Of Steel

This may seem monumentally obtuse to the non-Antipodean readers out there (and what the visitor from Espoo, Southern Finland will make of it all is beyond me) but Captain Goodvibes is a total legend, and his greatest moments are now available in a 400 pg book from his creator, Tony Edwards. Superbly offensive, stupid and morally bankrupt, the Captain was a drug addled surfing pig with a fondness for nuclear explosions who, in the words of Mr. Edwards, 'soured thousands of young lives, stealing the promise of a bright future from their tiny hands.' Certainly as a tender youth the Goodvibes strips I came across were a revelation, and they remain brilliant today- I believe I will get this for myself as a Christmas present. Thanks to Kidman for the heads up and the Peter Troy book looks great as well.

Field Trip.

Spent a chunk of the afternoon with Carl Ekstrom being completely entertained. He's doing such an array of projects it's a bit overwhelming just checking them out- definitely a design polymath at work here. Best thing is his setup is completely organized, functional and quite elegant. I walked into his living room and it was exactly as pictured- handmade fireplace with model display, ergonomic (and extremely comfortable) chair, couple of gloss and polish asyms on the floor as he's giving their tails some thought. If you're in Hawaii you're stoked too, downstairs there were 2 nearly finished boards ready to head to the Surf Garage in Honolulu. An afternoon well spent.

Fins & Jay Boy

I am apparently losing my memory in my old age. Here's two things I forgot- when I put up the pictures of the new Mackie a few posts back, I neglected to put shots of the fin, which is a hand foiled flex fin. It's $850, but it comes with a 6'3" S deck stub to attach it to.





I also forgot to put this in the books for christmas array. 'Jay Boy', photos from Jay Adams' childhood taken by his step dad Kent Sherwood. It's an awesome look at the pre Dogtown Venice surf/skate culture. $25, shipping included. Email info @ foamandfunction.com and gift needs can be solved

Christmas Reading

A few more gift selections from our output.
Patrick Trefz 'Thread' photobook $30 (Signed copies available)
Andrew Kidman & Andy Davis 'Way Of The Bird' $25
Glen E. Friedman & C.R. Stecyk III 'Dogtown' $35 (Signed copies available)
Glen E. Friedman 'KYEO' Fugazi photobook $30
and of course, the mighty 'Ether' by Kidman. Signed & Numbered, limited to 1050 copies
$175
Shipping inside the US is included in the price, foreign friends add $5 per book, a bit more for Ether -email for details.
info @ foamandfunction.com
There's more info in the Foam and Function site 'Books' page too.

Wwaarrbblleess

All photos by RT via his blog.



I'm not telling you anything you don't already know I'm sure, but the above clip which comes via RT is utterly fantastic. He has an aesthetic going on that is very much his own, and it's all over his Warbles blog as well as his film work. To be honest, Warbles was one of the things that got me up and doing this blog although whether that's good or not I leave up to you. Either way, RT is a lovely bloke and I'm thankful he does what he does. Enjoy.

Christmas Viewing

Although we don't have a cute marketable name like 'cyber monday', it's time to throw our offerings into the Xmas present arena. Should you be looking for a little something for like minded friends, here's the current array of film available (posed haphazardly on a couple of very nice hooded sweatshirts, only $35 each, Simmons design available in grey, black and brown). The rundown is: 'Last Hope' collection, Kidman's 'Glass Love', 'Thread' and 'Idiosyncrasies' by Patrick Trefz, John Abegg's "___" and 'Believe' and 'Little Black Wheels' from Mick Waters (both these titles are numbered). Cost is very simple, a mere $25 per title, shipping included. The only exception is the fancy limited version of "___" which is $30 for the zine/DVD and $50 for the book/DVD. To order, simply email us at info@foamandfunction.com and we'll set you up with some cinematic brilliance. Here's a nice little taste of it all, Axxe Wetsuits promo shot by the hard working Mr. Waters and featuring the usual suspects amongst others.


And should you be interested in Andrew Kidman's fast disappearing 'Lost In The Ether' film, go here.
Should you be interested in some incredible woodcraft and/or photography, you can't go past Joe Curren who even has a christmas offer going.

As always, these are all independent artists, filmmakers and craftsmen promoted here, and your support is what keeps them working and providing this quality entertainment for us all. Thanks.

Submerge

Ulladulla is a place that has drawn some entertaining and creative types out of the woodwork, and Dean Dampney would definitely be one of them. He's a very talented photographer, and he surfs. (Of course, you'd be mad not to with the sort of waves those guys get) Most recently it seems he's been surfing an alaia which certainly earns my respect. The above shot is one of Dean's, and it's the tail of a finless creation from Mark Rabbidge that Dean was lucky enough to session. Dean's website Submerge has just been rejiggered and it's looking great, a selection of photos with little essays accompanying them, just the stuff that makes the internet fun.



And if you're lucky enough to be in Santa Cruz or thereabouts, go to this. It'll be good, Trefz is involved along with an array of local talent and you'll be supporting the efforts of independent creative types while having a blast.